


A Gathering

by Anonymous



Category: Avengers (Comics), Black Widow (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Anxiety, Conflict, F/M, Friendship, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 10:32:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15772341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Bucky Barnes accepts a dinner invitation in spite of his apprehension.





	A Gathering

Bucky’s cell phone buzzed on the nightstand to the left of Natasha’s bed. He quickly looked over at the glowing screen and then up at Natasha.

“Don’t you dare answer that, James,” she advised after a sharp laugh.

“I’m not,” he declared with a boyish grin.

The cell phone buzzed again, and Bucky once again glanced at it.

“James, I said don’t answer that,” Natasha reiterated staring down at him with her riveting green eyes.

“I wasn’t going to,” he promised.

When the phone buzzed a third time, Bucky looked at it and said, “It’s Steve.” Picking up his phone, he spoke.

“Hello?”

“Hey, pal! How are ya?” Steve asked cheerfully.

“Good. What’s up?”

“Is Natasha with you? I’ve been trying to reach her, but I think her phone is turned off,” said Steve.

Looking up at her, Bucky replied, “Yeah, she’s here.”

“Oh, could you – ”

“OUCH! Zebra! ZEBRA!” Bucky yelled.

“...‘Zebra’?” Steve wondered aloud.

“Sorry...It’s a safe word…” admitted Bucky breathlessly.

After a moment of thought, Steve realized, “Oh, my...are you guys...I’ll call back!”

“No, you’re good. What’s up?” he asked again as Natasha rolled over and lay next to him in bed.

Steve momentarily lost his train of thought as he tried to imagine what would elicit the safe word “zebra.”

“Uh...yeah...I...uh...wanted to ask her to come to the compound today,” he managed to say as he listened to Natasha laughing hysterically in the background.

“Will you stop?” Bucky asked.

“What?” wondered Steve.

“Oh, not  _you,_  pal. Okay, I’ll tell her,” he said.

“I want you to come, too,” Steve added still thinking about zebras.

“Oh...well...okay,” he agreed with reservations. “It’s about 3 o’clock now, so...say in about an hour?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“See you then,” said Bucky before ending the call.

“What did Steve want?” Natasha asked.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Bucky replied, “He wants us to go to the compound. Didn’t say why.”

“Hmm...,” she pondered. “Well, we better get going then.”

The two rose and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the water in the shower and smiled up at him as he entered it first. They kissed as the steam enveloped them.

*  *  *  *  *  *

As Bucky dressed, Natasha sat at her vanity and brushed her long red hair.

“You should pack your duffle bag,” she suggested.

“Oh, yeah? Why?” he asked curiously.

“Well, if we’re going to the compound this late in the day, we might as well stay the night.”

Bucky thought about it for several moments before reaching into Natasha’s closet and pulling out his duffle bag.

Previously, Bucky was not welcome at the Avengers’ compound. Undeterred, to gain access at night, he hacked into Tony Stark’s artificial intelligence assistant, Friday, and shut down her detection system. Steve was the only one who knew that Bucky sometimes spent the night in Natasha’s room and then sneaked out before any other Avengers awoke the following morning.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Bucky sat slumped in the passenger's seat as Natasha steered her blue classic Mustang through traffic. Wearing a black t-shirt, jeans and a long black coat, he stared anxiously out the window. Spreading his legs, he slumped a bit further down in the seat as his neck-length dark hair obscured half of his face.

Noticing his sullen posture, Natasha asked, "You're very quiet. What's going on?"

After a moment, the soldier replied unconvincingly, “Nothing.”

“Come on. It’s me you’re talking to. What’s up?”

Bucky sighed and said, “I’m not really welcome there, you know?”

“I thought you and Tony called a truce.”

“We did...kind of,” he replied without looking at her.

“Well?” she pressed.

“It’s the others I’m worried about.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine, James. Besides, Steve and I will be there, so you won’t be facing them alone.”

Bucky was not reassured but appreciated her support nonetheless.

When the car reached the front gate of the compound, Natasha rolled down her window and looked at the camera on the call box.

“Good afternoon, Agent Romanov.”

“Hello, Friday,” she replied to Tony Stark’s artificial intelligence assistant which not only controlled applications in the compound and his lab but also controlled his Iron Man technology.

Natasha looked at Bucky and then smacked his left thigh with the back of her right hand.

Turning his head to look at her, he sat up straight, leaned forward, and looked at the call box.

“Welcome, Sergeant Barnes.”

“It’s Bucky,” he advised before slumping back down in the seat.

Friday activated the gate which slowly opened to allow the car to enter. Natasha guided it to the underground garage and parked near a few of Tony’s sports cars and Steve’s motorcycle.

As the two exited the car, Bucky lifted their bags off of the back seat and followed Natasha as she led the way to the elevator.

“Living quarters,” she requested when the doors closed, and when the elevator stopped, Friday announced it.

“Second floor – living quarters, Agent Romanov and Sergeant Barnes.”

“Thank you, Friday,” she said before stepping from the elevator and leading the way to the Avengers’ commons area.

Bucky had stepped out of the elevator and into this area many times after hacking into Friday and temporarily disabling its facial recognition and detection protocol. He knew the entire floor plan and the path to Natasha’s room which he had taken numerous times late at night.

On those occasions, Natasha sometimes quietly entered Steve’s room to take a clean shirt and pants for Bucky to wear when he left. If Steve was awake and noticed her, they never spoke; she simply winked at him and he smiled back.

As Bucky and Natasha entered the commons area, he placed their bags on the carpet next to a burgundy colored club chair. Looking to their left, they saw Avengers Sam Wilson and Clint Barton sitting at a table playing chess.

“Hey, fellas!” Natasha called as she and Bucky approached them.

“There you are, Nat!” Sam exclaimed. “Barnes,” was all he said to Bucky with a slight chin lift.

“Hey, Nat,” said Clint as he sat contemplating his next move. “So, you brought Barnes, huh?” he said not glancing up.

“Yeah, Steve invited both of us,” she confirmed giving Bucky’s right hand a firm squeeze.

“What’s with the coat, player?” Sam queried.

Bristling at the comment, Bucky quipped, “Have you looked out the window today, Wilson? It’s cold outside.”

 _“Cold?_   Man, I thought you like the cold,” Sam said as he watched Clint begin to make a move and then stop.

“I’m not sure what would make you think that,” he remarked becoming agitated.

“All right, player. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I just thought that since you lived in Siberia...”

Now, clearly annoyed, Bucky replied, “I didn’t ‘live’ in Siberia. I was kept there – against my will, I might add.”

“But it  _was_  still cold there,” Clint reminded him.

Bucky glared at Clint for a moment and then began to move his mouth as if he were speaking.

“Huh? What?” Clint asked as he tapped his ears. “What’d he say?”

“He didn’t say anything, man. He’s just messing with you,” advised Sam.

“Oh...I thought my hearing aids cut out,” Client replied staring up at Bucky who smirked before returning his attention to Sam.

“Let me ask you something, Sam. If someone held you against your will and pulled out all your teeth and fingernails with pliers, how would you feel the next time you saw pliers?”

Sam thought about it for a few moments.

“Okay, man. I feel you.”

“Right. I hate the freaking cold,” Bucky declared.

Looking down at the chess board, he then picked up one of Clint’s chess pieces.

“Hey!” the blonde archer yelped.

Bucky quickly moved a few pieces around the board and finally said to Sam, “Checkmate!”

“What?” he asked in disbelief.

“Hey! I won!” exclaimed Clint happily.

Staring at the board, Sam shook his head slowly from left to right. Finally, he looked up at Bucky and hissed, “I still hate you, man.”

“I know,” Bucky remarked and then winked at him.

“I won! I won!” Clint continued to cheer.

“That doesn’t count.  _He_  made those moves,” snapped Sam.

Sarcastically, Natasha quipped, “Well, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

Walking back to join her, Bucky began to remove his coat.

“I didn’t come here for this crap,” he hissed at her.

“I know, I know,” she agreed putting her right hand on his left cheek to soothe him.

“Where’s Steve?” Bucky asked Clint and Sam.

“He’s in his office – on the phone with Tony,” Clint informed him.

Bucky immediately felt relieved to hear that the millionaire genius, Tony Stark, was not there.

“Come on, James,” Natasha said. “We can take our bags to my room.”

Just then, Steve strode into the commons with his jeans and grey t-shirt emphasizing his muscular build. He smiled broadly when he saw his friends and hugged each in turn.

“Buck! Natasha!” Glad you could both come,” he said cheerfully.

Bucky was glad to see his friend as they had not spoken in a few weeks.

“Thanks for the invite, pal,” Bucky replied.

“Oh, I see you brought bags,” Steve observed.

“I thought since we were coming, we’d spend the night,” said Natasha.

Steve blushed thinking about Bucky’s outburst, “Zebra!” while they were on the phone earlier.

“Great! Well, let me help you with the bags,” he offered.

“That’s okay. We’ve got them,” she said. Looking at Bucky, she suggested, “James, we can take these to my room.”

“I’ve got ‘em,” he said and then bent to pick up the bags.

Clint and Sam watched Bucky walk down the hallway which led to the bedrooms.

Without looking at his fellow Avenger, Clint asked Sam, “How does he know where the bedrooms are and – ”

“...and which one is hers?” Sam said completing the thought.

As the two wondered about Bucky, Steve asked Natasha, “So, how are you?”

Smiling, she replied, “Steve, I just saw you 2 days ago for a briefing.”

“I know. I mean how are you and Bucky?”

After a pause, she replied unconvincingly, “We’re good.”

“Why don’t I believe that?” remarked Steve.

Looking down the hall to ensure that Bucky was not returning, Natasha confessed, “He’s not sleeping well.”

“No?” Steve asked with concern. “Is it the usual stuff, or did something happen?”

Lowering her voice, she replied, “He went to see his sister the other day.”

“‘Becca? I thought he stopped going to see her!” a shocked Steve exclaimed. “Did you go with him?”

“Not this time. He didn’t tell me he was going, so I guess he just wanted to see her alone,” she said nodding as if agreeing with herself.

“Did he say how things went?”

“No. He didn’t want to talk about it and seemed pretty upset. I tried to console him, but then he abruptly left. I didn’t hear from him for a few days. Then, I went on a mission and when I returned, he was back at my place.”

“Did he say where he’d been?” Steve pressed.

“When he needs some space, he always goes to his apartment, wherever that is. He was in a better mood by then, but I could tell he still didn’t want to talk about it. So, I didn’t ask,” Natasha said with a shrug.

“Whenever he disappears, you need to tell me about it,” urged Steve. Thinking for a moment, he then suggested, “Maybe I should try talking to him.”

“That’s a thread you probably shouldn’t pull, Steve,” she advised.

After giving it some thought, Steve agreed, “Maybe you’re right.”

“And I don’t want him to know that I told you,” Natasha added.

“I’d never tell him. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Meanwhile, down the hall Bucky had placed the bags in Natasha’s bedroom. On his way out of the room, he froze in the doorway when he saw Wanda Maximoff walking toward him.

“Hello, Sergeant Barnes,” she said as she stopped to greet him.

Taking a step backward, he replied, “Bucky.”

“Sergeant Bucky,” the Sokovian beauty corrected herself.

“No – just call me ‘Bucky,’” he instructed.

“I didn’t know you were coming today. It’s nice to see you,” she said taking a step toward him.

Bucky took another step backward and replied, “Steve invited me to come with Nat.”

Wondering for a moment why the soldier kept maintaining the space between then, Wanda finally stated, “I’m reading an American book and on my way to the library for a dictionary. I’ll see you later, Sergeant – sorry... _‘Bucky.’”_

“Yeah...see ya,” he agreed and watched the auburn haired young woman walk down the hallway. He thought that her short black skirt and fitted white blouse gave her a school girl appearance. He recalled hearing that if she touched someone, she could put thoughts into that person’s mind. So, he had kept his distance not wishing to let anyone control his mind again.

Returning to the commons area, Bucky joined Steve and Natasha.

“So, why did you want to see us today?” he asked his best friend as the three sat on adjoining sofas.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, Buck, and just thought it’d be nice.”

“Oh...So, what happened to that motorcycle road trip that we talked about taking?”

“Well, you know the team’s been kind of busy lately, and my bike’s not running well these days,” Steve confessed.

“Yeah, I know Nat’s been gone a lot lately. What’s wrong with your bike?” Bucky asked.

“The engine’s been sputtering. I haven’t had time to figure out what’s up with it.”

“I told him to take it to a shop or have Tony look at it,” Sam interjected from the kitchen.

“I could have a look at it for you,” offered Bucky.

Looking skeptical, Clint asked, “So, you’re the ‘bike whisperer’ now?”

“Bucky’s always been good with machines,” Steve declared.

“Yeah, he keeps my Mustang running like new,” advised Natasha.

Sam considered making a joke about it being a good thing that Bucky was mechanically inclined, but he quickly thought better of it.

“How long before dinner?” Bucky wondered seemingly changing the subject.

“About 2 hours?” Steve asked Sam.

“More like ninety minutes, Cap,” he replied as he checked Clint’s roast in the over.

Bristling, Clint yelped, “Hey! Quit opening that door. You’ll throw off the temperature.”

“Calm down, princess,” Sam urged. “It’ll be fine.”

“I could take a quick look at your bike now, if you want,” offered Bucky.

“Sure!” his friend chirped.

“Boys, don’t go all ‘grease monkey’ before dinner. Ninety minutes isn’t that much time, you know,” advised Natasha.

“I might be able to tell what’s wrong with it by just listening to it,” Bucky suggested.

“That works for me!” Steve agreed. Turning to Natasha as the two rose from the sofas, he said, “We won’t be long.”

With a smirk, she declared, “If you are, we’ll start dinner without you.”

Leading the way, Steve walked to the elevator and once both he and Bucky were inside and the door closed, he said, “Garage.”

“Thank you, Captain Rogers,” Friday replied before selecting the floor.

As the elevator began to move, Steve asked, “Have you been to the compound’s garage before today?”

Smiling, Bucky replied, “Not with ‘official authorization.’”

“Ooookay...” his friend replied trying not to laugh.

The two walked past a few of Tony Stark’s expensive vintage autos and approached Steve’s Harley which rested dutifully on its kickstand.

“Why don’t you start it up and let me hear it?” Bucky suggested.

“Sure,” agreed Steve as he straddled the bike. He started the engine and looked expectantly as his friend.

“Gun it!” Bucky yelled over the noise.

Steve followed his instructions and revved the engine and when Bucky dragged his index finger horizontally across his throat to indicate “kill it,” he turned off the engine.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked.

“Hmm...” Bucky thought. “Let me have a look at it. Have you got any tools?”

“Yeah, over there,” replied Steve climbing off the bike. As he brought a tool box over to his friend, he thought he’d seize the opportunity to talk to him while the two were alone.

“So, whatcha been up to lately, pal?” he asked as Bucky removed the cover on the bike’s engine.

“You know...the usual...some surveillance...some intel...you know the rule: I can’t tell you,” he reminded Steve without looking up at him.

Nodding, Steve agreed, “I know. You look a bit tired, though.”

“I’ve been busy...keeping late hours is all.”

“Oh...anything else going on?” Steve pried.

“What are you getting at, Steve?” Bucky asked wondering about his friend’s curiosity.

“Nothing! I just...you know, if you want to talk about something...anything...”

“Thanks, but I’m good,” he said while tinkering with the engine.

Not wanting to push his friend too hard or betray Natasha’s confidence, Steve thought it best to drop the subject.

“Looks like you’ve been taking good care of her,” Bucky observed as he continued to examine the engine. With his head lowered, his face was completely obscured by his long brown mane.

Scratching his head, Steve lamented, “It’s a pity I don’t have time to ride her much these days. Like you said – ”

“Yeah – busy,” Bucky agreed. “Seems not much has changed since our old army days. The world still needs saving.”

“Yeah, and it’s a good thing that there are still people willing to do it,” replied Steve.

“Why do you sound like an army recruitment commercial?” asked Bucky before erupting with laughter.

Blushing, Steve admitted, “You know me best, pal. That’s just the way I am.”

“Yeah, an all-American cornball,” his friend replied with a boyish grin that Steve had seen since they were kids back in Brooklyn.

Finally, Bucky said, “Get on and start it up.”

Steve smiled broadly when he turned the key and heard the difference.

“Wow! Thanks, pal! She’s purring like a kitten,” he exclaimed.

“It was just a slipped belt and a few loose bolts. She’s good now.”

“I owe ya one, Buck,” Steve said earnestly as he turned off the engine and dismounted the bike.

“You take that road trip with me, and I’ll call us even.”

“Roger that,” Steve agreed as he watched Bucky replace the cover of the engine.

Steve returned Tony’s tool box to a utility shelf while Bucky wiped his hands on a rag.

“You hungry?” Steve asked.

Responding quickly, Bucky remarked, “I could eat a horse!”

“We don’t have any horse, so Clint’s roast will have to do.”

“Ha ha,” Bucky replied flatly. “Come on. I better get washed up before Nat comes looking for me.”

As the two friends walked toward the elevator, Bucky wondered, “Do you think Stark would notice if I borrowed that red roadster over there?”

“Pal, you’d never get it out of the garage – not with Friday keeping an eye on things.”

“Oh, yeah?” Bucky asked skeptically. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. I’m the guy who routinely hacked his way into this joint.”

“Well, if you want to live dangerously...” replied Steve.

As the two rode the elevator back to the living quarters, Bucky asked, “What do you think Stark had in mind with Friday?”

“‘Had in mind?’” Steve wondered. “You mean other than ‘His Girl Friday?’”

“No, I mean a blonde...brunette...red head...”

Pondering his friend’s question, Steve finally asked, “You mean if she were real?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I don’t think Tony really has a type...” Steve replied blushing.

When the elevator doors opened onto the commons area, the two were met by the smell of food.

“Man, that roast is making my mouth water,” exclaimed Bucky. “Just washing my hands!” he called to Natasha while en route to her bathroom.

“Make it fast,” she said before calling Wanda’s room on the intercom.

Bucky froze mid-way down the hall when he saw the girl exit her room and begin striding toward him.

“You’re going the wrong way, Sergeant – I mean, Bucky. Natasha says dinner is ready.”

“Just need to...wash my hands,” the soldier advised with his unblinking large blue eyes fixed on her.

Wanda smiled sweetly and said, “I’ll see you there, then.”

He waited until the girl reached the end of the hall before proceeding to Natasha’s room and washing in her bathroom.

In the kitchen, Steve plated the roast and arranged vegetables around it on a pale green platter as Wanda set the dining table.

“Where’d an army guy like you learn how to do that, Cap?” Sam wondered.

With a wry smile, he replied, “My ma was often sick, so I’d help with the kitchen duties – not that we could ever afford a roast. It was good practice for the life of a bachelor.”

“Does Bucky cook, too?” asked Wanda out of curiosity and a desire to learn something about the mysterious young soldier.

“He can, but he really doesn’t like to,” he replied looking at Natasha for agreement. “He sure misses his ma’s cooking, though.”

“Oh, yeah?” Natasha asked intrigued.

“Yeah, my ma was a good Irish cook, but Bucky’s ma...her corned beef and cabbage was out of this world, and her soda bread was the talk of Brooklyn.”

Quietly to Steve, Natasha replied, “Thanks for sharing that. He’s rarely ever spoken of his mother to me. I know virtually nothing about his family other than a little about his sister Rebecca, and that’s only because he took me along once when he went to visit her at the Alzheimer’s home. It must be too painful for him.”

“It is,” he agreed. “Hydra took a lot from Bucky – his life...his family...everything he knew and loved.”

“Did people like him?” Wanda wondered.

“Who – Bucky? Oh yeah. Handsome, friendly, smart, polite, good at everything – everyone liked him, and he always looked out for me,” Steve said with his voice cracking at the end.

Signaling that Bucky was approaching, Sam interrupted, “Barnes, we were about to start without you.”

Steve and Natasha stared at each other hoping that Bucky had not heard them lamenting the hand that life had dealt him.

“All right already, Sam! I said I had to wash my hands,” he exclaimed. “Where do I sit?”

“Anywhere you want. We’re not formal here,” Steve replied.

As Bucky sat in a chair at the middle of the table, Sam said, “Except there. That’s my seat.”

Bucky stared at him for a moment before rising and moving to the next seat.

“He’s just messing with you, man,” Clint laughed.

“Yeah, that’s for beating me at chess, player,” Sam scolded him.

Bucky sighed and scowled at Sam.

“Guys! Knock it off,” Steve called from the kitchen.

“Calm down, Cap. We’re just having a laugh,” Sam replied.

“Not at his expense,” declared Steve with a stern look.

Steve then approached carrying the platter with the now carved roast and placed it on the dining table. He was followed by Natasha and Clint who carried the side dishes.

Sitting to Bucky’s right, Natasha placed her left hand on his right thigh and rubbed it lovingly. He kissed her left cheek to show his appreciation.

As Steve sat in the chair to Bucky’s left, he held out his hand to take his friend’s plate.

“Thanks for coming, Buck. We’re glad you’re here,” he said looking first at Sam and then at Clint.

Bucky gave Steve a shy smile and then looked down at the table, but he did not respond.

As if the head of a family, Steve served their guest first and then his fellow Avengers. The group settled down to enjoy the meal and chatted in between bites.

While the others found humor in recounting aspects of their past missions, Bucky sat quietly and listened. Frequently, Steve would ask his silent friend for his opinion and try to draw him into the conversation. However, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Bucky kept his answers short and did not make eye contact. He did not work with the Avengers and was not accustomed to being around the group. His lack of interaction gave Sam and Clint the impression that the soldier was either not very bright or rather boring.

‘What does Nat see in that guy?’ both Sam and Clint wondered.

*  *  *  *  *  *

When the group was finished eating, they began to clear the plates from the table.

“I’ll take your plate, James,” offered Natasha.

“No, I got it. It’s the least I can do after such a good meal,” he said as he took her plate and placed it on top of his. He walked to the kitchen and helped Steve load the dishwasher.

“Are you glad you came, Buck?” asked Steve.

“Yeah, I am,” he remarked deciding not to let Sam and Clint ruin his visit.

“Man, I feel like my stomach could explode,” Clint whined as he slowly approached the two.

“Well, you did pretty much inhale your dinner,” Steve joked.

“The hell I did!”

“Language!” Steve snapped.

“Sorry!” Clint replied sarcastically, “The  _heck_  I did.”

Walking past him on her way to the dishwasher, Wanda advised, “You did eat pretty fast, Clint.”

“You know what? I don’t even care. The food was good. So what?”

Steve shook his head and continued loading dishes as Clint began to put the leftovers in plastic containers.

“Who’s up for a game of Poker?” asked Sam from the living room.

“I’ll play,” chirped Bucky.

“Then come on, player, if you feel like losing everything but the shirt on your back,” the paratrooper said clapping his hands together once.

“I usually win,” Bucky advised with a sly smile.

“Not tonight, you won’t,” declared Sam.

“Oh, no! Don’t play with him,” Clint strongly urged Sam.

“Why not?”

“Barnes cheats,” stated the archer.

“I do not!” Bucky insisted fiercely.

“Then, why is it you never lose?” Clint asked accusingly.

Knitting his brows, Bucky replied, “I have a photographic memory. I remember every card that was played.”

“Counting cards – like I said, that’s cheating,” Clint concluded.

“Come on, Wanda. There’s way too much testosterone in here,” Natasha advised as she led the teen out of the kitchen and down the hallway toward their rooms. “Did you finish your book?” she asked.

“No, not yet. It slows me down when I have to look up words. My English is not as good as yours. I wish I had some books in Sokovian. Sometimes, I don’t understand Americans – the context, I mean,” Wanda replied with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m not sure I always understand Americans, either,” the Russian red head agreed as she looked over her shoulder at the bickering men. “I’ll be in my room if you need me,” she advised as the two women parted.

Back in the kitchen, the men were still arguing.

“Well, if we’re not playing Poker, I’m watching the game,” Sam said as he sat on one of the sofas and picked up the TV’s remote.

The huge flat screen suddenly came on and Sam selected the menu to scroll through the grid.

“Damn it! What channel is it on? I can’t find it,” he snapped.

“Language,” Steve said under his breath. “Which game?” he asked.

“The Knicks versus the Celtics. That’s on today, right?” Sam wondered becoming animated.

“Yeah, it is. Give me the controls. I’ll find it!” demanded Clint as he snatched the remote out of Sam’s hand.

When he switched the channel to the one airing the game, Sam exclaimed, “Great! It hasn’t started yet. You want to put some money on this ‘Katniss’?” he asked Clint.

Laughing, the blonde archer sat next to Sam and said, “Nah. I don’t bet on a sure thing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sam asked curiously.

“Do you want to watch the game, Buck? You and I could do something else if you’d rather not,” Steve offered.

Thinking for a moment, Bucky realized that it had been quite some time since he watched a ball game. It was even longer ago that he had done so with others.

“Uh...yeah...I’d like to watch the game,” he confessed quietly.

“Well, come on then!” said Steve as he put his arm around Bucky’s shoulders and guided his friend to the living room. Smiling, he suggested, “Let’s sit on the floor like we did when we were kids.”

Bucky was touched that Steve remembered something that they shared so long ago – something that meant a lot to both of them.

“Sure!” he agreed cheerfully.

As the game got underway, the cheers and taunts grew louder until they could be heard throughout the living quarters.

“Ah, man! Defense...DEFENSE!” Sam yelled at the TV when the New York Knicks allowed the Boston Celtics to score.

Steve and Clint joined in on the spectator coaching, but Bucky merely smiled and occasionally laughed at their antics.

In her bedroom, Wanda continued to read “The Girl from Everywhere” by Heidi Heilig and tried to relate to its young heroine.

Next door, Natasha sat at her desk and scoured through information that she pulled up on her laptop concerning a Russian diplomat who might have some shady dealings with the Latverian monarch Victor Von Doom. As she searched for more information, she suddenly came upon a partially redacted document that described a masked assailant with a metal arm who fled the scene after a Russian politico was shot.

“Oh, dear God!” she whispered in horror. Realizing that the file was describing an assassination carried out by the Winter Soldier, she saved the file under an innocuous name and hid it in a subfolder. She knew that she could never share with Bucky or anyone else details of the data that she found – not even if it helped to piece together the events of Bucky’s shattered life. She took a few moments to try to clear her mind of what she had just read before continuing her research.

As the evening turned into night, the noise of the rambunctious Avengers still drifted from the living room down the hallway and finally became too difficult for Natasha to continue to ignore.

“Really, guys? You sound like a frat house,” she scolded as she walked through the living room en route to the kitchen to fill a small pitcher with filtered water. She was glad to see that Bucky appeared to be enjoying himself although he was sitting slightly apart from the other three men and remained silent.

Leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees, his large eyes were glued to the TV taking in all the action of the game.

She began to wonder if any of them had heard her.

“Sorry, Nat. The game’s almost over,” Steve finally said to her.

“With that kind of overstimulation, nobody’s going to sleep tonight,” she predicted.

None of the men immediately responded as they were engrossed in the game.

“Good night, fellas!” she called over the chatter, which was met with no reply. Then, just as she turned to leave, Bucky smiled at her and winked. In return, she blew him a kiss and walked back to her room.

Seeing no light from under Wanda’s door, Natasha assumed that she had retired for the night and thought it was probably time that she did the same. So, she closed her laptop, changed into a blue camisole and matching pajama shorts, and climbed into bed. Reclining, she picked up a folder containing the brief which the Avengers were each given the day before. She began to read it and when the spy became drowsy, she placed the folder on the night stand, turned off the light, and fell asleep.

*  *  *  *  *  *

An hour had passed since Natasha went to bed. Realizing that his friend had been silent most of the evening, Steve turned to Bucky and asked, “You okay, pal?”

“Yeah, just a bit tired,” he confessed.

“Hey, I guess this is way past your bedtime for you old folks,” Clint teased.

“Wow...hilarious. Never heard that one before,” Bucky deadpanned.

“Let me remind you that we ‘old folks’ can easily beat you two in a foot race,” advised Steve. 

“Oh, yeah? Well, I know you can Cap, but I’m not so sure about ‘Sleeping Beauty’ there,” Sam said.

“Well, we can always prove that tomorrow morning,” Steve retorted. “Hey, Buck? You up for a morning run?”

Bucky sat silently staring at the carpet.

“Buck?” Steve asked again.

Realizing that he was being spoken to, Bucky looked at his friend suddenly and asked, “Huh?”

“Tomorrow...the four of us...laps around the compound?”

“‘Four of us’?” yelped Clint. “How’d I get roped into this?”

“It’ll be good for you,” advised Sam. “You’re getting a bit soft around the middle.”

“I am not!” the archer exclaimed as he rubbed his stomach.

“Man, that 6-pack is turning into a 4-pack – especially after all you ate tonight.”

“I did not overeat tonight,” Clint declared defiantly.

Turning to Bucky once more, Steve asked, “So, are you up for it, pal?”

Breaking is concentration again, Bucky looked at each man as if he had never met them before. Then, slowly he agreed. “Yeah...sure,” he said.

“Cool,” Sam replied. “Well, I’m calling it a night.”

“Me too,” said Clint. “I’m taking my hearing aids out, so if anyone needs me – ”

“Yeah, we know the drill – we’ll bang on your door and Friday will flash your lights. Got it,” Sam said over his shoulder as he left the room.

“‘Night, guys,” said Steve as Sam and Clint disappeared down the hall. Looking at Bucky, he said, “I’ll see you in the morning, pal.”

Without smiling, Bucky replied, “Bright and early.”

When Steve extended his open hand to help his friend up from the living room floor, Bucky took it appreciatively.

The two walked quietly until they reached Steve’s room. Across the hall, Bucky placed his hand on Natasha’s door knob and stood looking at Steve across from him.

“Good night, punk,” Steve said with a slight grin. It was something that he said a thousand times when they were younger, but it seemed to feel oddly new to him tonight.

“Good night, jerk,” his friend replied as he always did. Then, Bucky quietly opened Natasha’s door and stepped inside.

As the spy slept, the soldier silently removed all of his clothes. Opening one of her drawers, he removed a pair of Barnes tartan pajama bottoms, stepped into them, and slid under the covers without disturbing the red head. At first, he found it difficult to relax but eventually drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> © 2018 Planet Press
> 
> The Marvel characters herein are the property of Marvel Comics which retains the rights.


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